Method for producing a moisture swing sorbent for carbon dioxide capture from air

Abstract

Methods and systems for producing a moisture swing sorbent for carbon dioxide capture from air are disclosed. In some embodiments, the methods include the following: providing a heterogeneous ion-exchange material; soaking the material in deionized water; washing the material in hydroxide or carbonate solutions; rinsing the material in deionized water; collecting and titrating residuals of the soaking and the washing steps into a residual solution; measuring an amount of chloride in the residual solution; repeating all of the steps if the amount of chloride measured in the residual solution is greater than zero; and drying the material with either dry nitrogen gas or air free of carbon dioxide and water.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for producing a moisture swing sorbent for carbon dioxide capture from air, said method comprising:
 providing a heterogeneous ion-exchange material; 
 soaking said material in deionized water; 
 washing said material in hydroxide or carbonate solutions; 
 rinsing said material in deionized water; 
 collecting and titrating residuals of said soaking and said washing steps into a residual solution; 
 measuring an amount of chloride in said residual solution; 
 repeating all of said steps if said amount of chloride measured in said residual solution is greater than zero; and 
 drying said material with either dry nitrogen gas or air free of carbon dioxide and water. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said deionized water has a temperature of about 89 to about 95 degrees Celsius. 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said material is soaked in deionized period for a period of about 24 to about 48 hours. 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said material has a thickness of about 0.1 to about 1.5 millimeters. 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said material is washed in one of a 1.0 M sodium hydroxide solution and a 0.5 M sodium carbonate solution. 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein original exchangeable anions of said material are chloride ions. 
     
     
       7. The method according to  claim 6 , further comprising:
 replacing said chloride ions with hydroxide or carbonate ions. 
 
     
     
       8. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said material is a co-extruded sheet that includes a polymer matrix and a resin powder having quaternary ammonium functional groups. 
     
     
       9. The method according to  claim 8 , wherein said resin powder is about 50 to about 70 percent by weight of said sheet. 
     
     
       10. The method according to  claim 8 , wherein said resin powder includes resin particles having a size of about 20 μm to about 60 μm. 
     
     
       11. The method according to  claim 8 , wherein said sheet has a surface area of about 2.0 square meters per gram. 
     
     
       12. The method according to  claim 8 , wherein a surface area of said resin powder is about 400 times an apparent surface area of said sheet. 
     
     
       13. The method according to  claim 8 , wherein said sheet has a porous structure with pore sizes ranging from about 2 μm to about 50 μm. 
     
     
       14. The method according to  claim 13 , wherein said porous structure includes spaces between said resin powder resin and said polymer matrix.